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the best part is helping people and
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helping them get over the finish line to
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either lawful permanent residents which
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is green card or citizenship there’s
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nothing better than having worked on a
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case for years and years to get somebody
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that stability and that peace of mind
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that they can make their future here and
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at the same time feel really proud that
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I’ve done something for my country
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because I feel like immigration is what
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makes us special and every new immigrant
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I help to get over the finish line
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I feel contributes to our country well I
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did not have a direct path to
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immigration law I started out with
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loving Chinese language that was my
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major in college French Latin Greek then
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I went on to become a tax lawyer and it
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doesn’t sound like those are necessary
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related but they are they’re all code
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based translation and being sort of
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culturally snoopy and I thought that by
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practicing an international tax law I
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could satisfy that curiosity that I had
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but a little bit later I figured out
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that immigration was really where I
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could help people learn about different
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cultures and really apply those the
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language and research skills what any of
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the things that I started out as a
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removal defense or the Perry Mason of
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immigration and family immigration law
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and I’ve always believed very strongly
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that the best lawyers are the ones who
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have sort of the liberal arts approach
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not such a highly specialized focus
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right from the beginning because it
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allows you to see the universe of the
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issues and the ways that issues come up
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and not to be so narrow so having done
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the legal removal defense I don’t freak
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out if I get a client with a criminal
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conviction I know what to do about that
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they don’t come up as often in the
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employment-based arena
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but that’s been very helpful in the
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background and then I worked at big Wall
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Street firms when I started out in tax
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law and that really taught me excellent
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client service and really learning about
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your client and therein
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industries and working really really
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hard and then finally it’s leadership
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you know having worked in leadership
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roles both in volunteer organizations
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nonprofits that helped me to manage the
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firm
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Contact Kirsten Schlenger
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San Francisco, CA immigration attorney Kirsten Schlenger talks about the rewards of her practice as well as her background & experience.